Albert Einstein was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who was a great example of how to be successful by not following the crowd. He struggled in school because he knew there was so much more to learning than the words on the page.
Einstein knew that doing what everyone else was doing would only bring him life just like everyone else’s. He wanted more. He used curiosity and imagination to test all of the limits and to grow beyond what others thought possible.
Einstein pushed the limits of science until he discovered new science. The photoelectric effect and the theories of relativity were discovered because he had a thirst to learn more. He wanted to provide others with valuable information.
Entrepreneurs can learn to grow their businesses from many lessons that have been learned from the examples set by Albert Einstein. Below are five of the most important lessons.
Mistakes are Your Guides to Success
Entrepreneurs will make mistakes along the way, so it is important that they do not equate mistakes with failure. Mistakes only turn into failures when people do not take the time to find the lesson in the mistake.
Einstein used his mistakes as a guide to his ultimate successes. He embodied a “that did not work, so I will try another way” mindset. Entrepreneurs must follow suit.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”. –Albert Einstein
The road to success can be as simple as a mindset shift. Viewing problems from a different angle provides a different perspective.
This is the very thing that propels most entrepreneurs forward. It sets them apart from those who simply give up when the first point of view does not work.
Entrepreneurs should be happy to have mistakes because those mistakes are truly the catalysts for better products, better productivity, and better visions for their company. They simply must learn, grow, and push forward.
Imagination is the Key
Anyone can study to gain knowledge. If they are disciplined they may even soar to the top of their class. Book knowledge is certainly useful, but it only takes you as far as what has already been discovered.
To make new discoveries, one must use their imagination to first have new ideas. Entrepreneurs are most successful when they develop new products or new variations on existing products. Even something as simple as a dog’s food bowl can be completely reimagined to create products that will be widely adopted by consumers. Ideas such as these are born from imagination, and this in itself is a gift to the entrepreneur.
“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life coming attractions. Imagination is more important than knowledge.” –Albert Einstein
Einstein imagined what he was trying to create and then used science to help him do that. Science alone only took him as far as what he already knew, but with imagination, he was able to push science further than a textbook.
Einstein developed the general and special theories of relativity by letting his imagination guide his knowledge. Likewise, successful entrepreneurs let imagination guide what they already know into a journey of new discoveries.
Curiosity is the Next Step
Sometimes entrepreneurs find themselves stuck. They wonder how to move their company forward and how to come up with the next step to take them to the next level.
Einstein has proven that the key to the next step is simply curiosity. An entrepreneur cannot simply be satisfied with where their company is and stop being innovative. In order to keep up, they must grow. To do this, they must be curious.
“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” –Albert Einstein
Entrepreneurs must be curious about how they got where they are, why their customers or clients reach out to them, and what will keep them coming back. They must be curious about how to take what they have and make it better.
Talent has its place, but curiosity is what takes that talent beyond what already is. Curiosity is the catalyst for an entrepreneur’s best ideas.
The Present is All You Can Control
Entrepreneurs tend to be the type to plan out their goals for a year or more at a time. It is good to have a vision and to have goals. Focusing on meeting them at a precise time may be holding people back.
People tend to worry about the future more when they know something needs to be done by a certain time. Perhaps, by focusing on the present, they will accomplish more because the worry will not be lingering and holding them back.
“I never think of the future. It comes soon enough” –Albert Einstein
Wasting time worrying about the future or putting too much thought into it will only impede the success of the present.
Entrepreneurs should focus on doing the best they can in the present moment, with their visions and goals simply as reminders of where they want to go, They should not be hard deadlines.
“A happy man is too satisfied with the present to dwell too much on the future.” –Albert Einstein
A successful, happy entrepreneur knows that the present counts, that it must be acknowledged and that success in the present is what determines the future.
Provide Value to Others For Ultimate Success
Many people define success as how much money their efforts bring them. Looking at success from a different angle can actually bring them more money. They need to look at how much value they are providing to their customers and clients.
An entrepreneur can get paid for providing information to a client. They can get paid more when they also provide them valuable tools to go with that information. They may do this by providing step-by-step ways to use the information or by providing a video with a detailed explanation.
“Strive not to be a success, but rather of value.” –Albert Einstein
When entrepreneurs strive to provide value, they automatically become more successful than those who do not because they are attracting more clients by providing value.
When people provide value to others, they feel a sense of purpose and become more confident in their abilities to help others. This mindset will help entrepreneurs come up with ways to continue providing value, and the cycle of success keeps churning.
Einstein did not do his work to impress others. He did not do it for fame or fortune either. He did it to see what he could contribute to others. He knew he could do certain things that others could not, so he did them. He was a star of humanity. Entrepreneurs can follow his lead and humbly become successful as well.
Christine started her own business on cosmetics in 2005. Since then, it had been thriving and expanding. She also started a group with other entrepreneurs and do some workshops and seminars. She is a wife and mother of two kids.